Jaybird X2 Review

Having your favorite jam playing in the background is a great way to raise morale and get that extra set in the gym or that extra lap when you’re out jogging. The beneficial influence of music on your performance when exercising isn’t just bro science either; it’s been proven, time and again.

However, it’s often times not as easy as it sounds if you have to use headphones, and most of us do. Wired headphones are a real pain to use in the gym and at the very least suboptimal for running. You also need headphones that won’t budge once you fit them in your ears. And even wireless solutions aren’t always perfect because the signal in some cheaper models can be downright horrible when there’s lots of movement.

But luckily we’ve found the perfect headphones that aren’t weighted down by any of this stuff.

Enter, Jaybird X2:

Name

Jaybird X2

Type

In-ear headphones

Connection

Wireless

Dimensions

7.3 x 2 x 4.8 inches (18.5 x 5 x 12.2 cm)

Weight

0.66 pounds (0.3 kg)

Driver size

6 mm

Wireless technology

Bluetooth 2.1

Design Philosophy

The Jaybird X2 is a revision on the wildly popular Jaybird Bluebuds X, a pair of wireless in-ear sports headphones that blew away the competition when they were first released in 2012. Cut to three years later and the folk at Jaybird decided it was time for an upgrade.

Seeing as they already had a winner in the original Bluebuds X, the company decided to follow an ‘if it ain’t broke’ design philosophy, keeping everything that worked while making improvements where there was room for them. Most of the changes were contained to the headphones’ insides, swapping in old technologies for new ones that had surfaced in the three years between the launches of these two products.

Side by side, however, the Bluebuds X and the X2 look very similar, although it’s not if there weren’t any visual updates. For starters, the X2 headphones come in an assortment of five colors as opposed to the original’s binary selection and the glossy finish was replaced with a matte one. These new color combinations are distinguishingly sporty without being too attention-grabbing.

The additional equipment that comes with the newer version is also better.

The new carrying case got a much needed revamp, as the old one had a clamping mechanism that was a pain to handle. But what’s even more important is that, in addition to the three pairs of ear fins, you now get three pairs of both silicone and Comply foam tips, one of each in small, medium and large sizes.

A Tight Fit

As we’ve already mentioned, these are sports headphones. Having a snug fit is always important with in-ear headphones to allow for the best noise isolation and therefore overall sound, but in sports headphones this aspect is emphasized even further given that the headphones need to remain firmly fixes despite all the jerking, shaking and jumping that’s going on around them.

Jaybird packed these headphones with size customizable ear fins and ear tips precisely because of this, so that most customers will be able to find the right fit for themselves. And most customers will, although the process of trial-and-error to get there can be tiresome. Once firmly on, not even an earthquake could rattle these headphones out of your ears

There is a slight chance that you won’t find a fit that’s perfect for you no matter the tip and fin combination, but this happens very rarely.

Durability

Durability is paramount when it comes to sports headphones and the X2 doesn’t disappoint. Not only is the exterior sturdy enough to manage being dropped from time to time, but the headphones are also water resistant to boot. Couple this with the lifetime warranty against sweat and you’ve got yourself a pair of headphones that will last you multiple years.

Additionally, the battery life on this thing is incredible. Eight hours may not be anything impressive when it comes to on-ear and over-ear wireless headphones, but given that these are in-ear headphones where the battery has to fit into the tiny plastic in the right earbud this is nothing short of incredible.

What’s more, it takes only two to three hours to charge through the micro USB charging port that’s packed neatly into the right earbud. This will, however, vary depending on what you plug the other end of the cable into since it doesn’t come with its own power supply.

The Cable

The last thing we want to get out of the way before we move onto sound quality is the cable. Obviously, these are wireless headphones so we aren’t talking about a 3.5 mm jack cable or even the micro USB charging cable. What we mean is the cable that’s connecting the right earbud with the left.

For some inexplicable reason, it’s 540 millimeters long. This isn’t unreasonable, but at over half a meter, or almost two feet if you will, there’s bound to be excess cable that’s just there to dangle around. Truth be told, you do get a couple of cable clips that you can use to stack the excess cable, but it’s far from being an elegant solution. At least it’s tangle resistant.

The cable also sports a neat in-line controller near the right earbud that has a microphone and three buttons for taking, ending and rejecting calls, controlling volume, switching between songs, and of course turning the headphones on and off.

Sound Quality

If you’ve owned a Bluebud X then you pretty much know what to expect with regards to sound quality. Little if anything was changed here, but this is a good thing. The signature sound manages to stay clear throughout without being flat.

The bass is slightly accentuated but not overemphasized. Unless you love feeling you music beat in your chest then this shouldn’t be a problem and it helps keep the mids afloat so it was definitely the right choice. What usually happens is that the mids get drowned out, but this isn’t something you have to worry about with the X2 as there is an even spread across frequencies. On top of that, the highs are also great. There is some roll-off, of course, these are after all in-ear headphones, but it’s kept within reasonable limits, which can’t be said for many in-ear headphones.

The signal is also great, easily connecting at 30 feet. You shouldn’t have any problems with interference even when jumping around in the gym if your phone is in your pocket or stationed nearby.

With all of these in mind, we can confidently give the sound at least a 9 out of 10, but that’s only if you manage to find the right fit. Otherwise, the bass will surely lose what oomph it has and everything else will be for naught.

Value

What makes the Jaybird X2 the best wireless sports headphones isn’t the sound quality, although it’s definitely there. It’s not the incredible battery life and durability either, although they don’t hurt. Nor is it the length to which the folk at Jaybird went to ensure that these headphones will snugly fit as many ears as possible.

The Jaybird X2 had all of these things even back when it launched at $200. They were expensive sports headphones, although the price was justified from the start. But the fact that you can buy them now for almost half that price really does make them the best and most cost-efficient wireless headphones for exercising.

Jaybird X2 Review

Durability - 10/10

10/10

Fit - 6.7/10

6.7/10

Sound - 8.7/10

8.7/10

Value - 10/10

10/10

Summary

The Jaybird X2 earbuds are very durable earbuds and give you very much value for the money. Overall, it's a secure buy and we can recommend them.

James is a self-proclaimed audiophile and tech geek. With his CS degree, 5 years of experience as a software developer and 2 years of experience testing audio devices, James is more than fit to be trusted in this field.